Historically in Chile, government investment in housing and infrastructure has mostly benefitted urban Chileans, and not addressed the needs of rural populations to improve their living conditions. Due to factors like extreme isolation and lack of finance, private contractors have also been reluctant to build new homes in rural Chile. Chileans living in rural areas often live in poor quality and overcrowded homes, which lack basic services such as electricity, efficient heating and proper sanitation. This contributes to the problem of rural to urban migration, as people leave the countryside in search of a decent home. Reducing migration from the countryside to cities is important because rural productivity is critical to Chile’s economy and the extra pressure on urban areas is making the country’s significant housing crisis worse.
In 2022, the Chilean government announced an Emergency Housing Plan, which set a goal of creating 260,000 homes by December 2025. The Rural Habitability Programme is part of this drive to renovate and build better housing, to help people have successful lives in the countryside. The Programme gives substantial funding and technical support to people in remote communities so they can build a new house or improve their existing home. The amount of funding that a household receives is determined by its economic status, with higher priority and funds given to low-income households, the elderly and those in very remote locations. Special focus is placed on vulnerable groups, such as indigenous people and women-led households.
Since 2016 the Rural Habitability programme has built or renovated more than 10,000 high-quality homes, improving the lives of around 40,000 people. The target is to reach 11,298 homes by December 2025.
